Oxidative and physical stability of 3 and 7% beeswax-candelilla wax (BW-CDW, 1:1) oleogels prepared with flaxseed (FSO), soybean (SBO), and olive oils (OO) were evaluated during storage at 25 and 4 °C. Peroxide values (PV) and conjugated diene values (CDV) of BW-CDW oleogels were lower than bulk oils after storage at 4 °C for 180 days, and those of 7% wax oleogels were lower than 3% wax oleogels indicating the protection effect by oleogelation. In contrast, these oleogels had lower oxidative stability than bulk oils at 25 °C indicating the prooxidant activity of waxes. PV of 7% BW-CDW SBO oleogel increased slower than commercial margarine fat (CMF) at both storage temperatures while its CDV increased faster at 25 °C. Gel strength (firmness and cohesiveness) of oleogels decreased at both temperatures. Gel strength of CMF decreased faster than oleogels at 25 °C while it was steady at 4 °C. Gel strength of OO oleogels dramatically decreased during storage at 4 °C, which was likely due to large oil crystals formed that broke the wax crystal network at 4 °C. Solid wax content and melting enthalpy of oleogels increased indicating that new crystals formed during storage, which, however, did not provide higher gel strength. New spherulite crystals appeared during storage at 4 °C, which might be the reason for decreased gel strength. Overall results indicated that BW-CDW oleogels had the oxidative and physical stability comparable to CMF except for OO oleogels stored at 4 °C.

Cold-pressed hempseed oil (HSO) is known to have many health benefits due to many phytochemicals and high polyunsaturated fatty acids content. In this study, HSO oleogels were prepared with 3, 5, and 7% natural waxes including sunflower wax (SW), rice bran wax (RBW), beeswax, and candelilla wax to evaluate their potential as solid fat replacements in margarines and spreads. Firmness, crystal structures, and melting properties of these oleogels were evaluated. In general, wax-based HSO oleogels except for RBW-HSO oleogels had lower firmness and weaker crystal network than the corresponding soybean oil (SBO) oleogels. In contrast, RBW-HSO oleogels had similar firmness, comparable or stronger crystal network, and higher melting and crystallization enthalpies compared to those of SBO oleogels. After removing polar compounds from HSO, waxes except for RBW provided oleogels with greater firmness, higher melting and crystallization enthalpies, and stronger crystal network. Therefore, it was concluded that polar compounds negatively affected the physical properties of wax-HSO oleogels but not those of RBW-HSO oleogels. Margarine samples were prepared with SW- and RBW-HSO oleogels, and their firmness and melting properties were examined. The firmness of these margarines indicated that wax-HSO oleogels may achieve the firmness of commercial spreads with less than 3% wax while the firmness of stick margarines cannot be achieved even with 7% wax. Although the properties of wax-HSO oleogels should be further improved, they showed potential as solid fat replacements in margarines and spreads.